1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of computer software, and more particularly, to software executable to restore a data volume from a backup image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems generally store files in file system volumes. If a storage device on which a volume is stored fails then the volume may be lost. It is common practice for individuals and organizations to use backup software to protect files that reside in file system volumes. For example, a client computer system may be coupled to a backup server computer system through a network. Backup software may execute to transmit copies of files in a volume on the client computer system to the backup server computer system, where they may be stored in a backup image. If the volume later fails on the client computer system then the backup software may communicate with the backup server computer system to request that the backup image be transmitted from the backup server computer system back to the client computer system, where it can be used to restore the failed volume.
Unfortunately, the restoration process may be slow and inefficient. For example, because many clients typically share a small number of backup servers, the restoration process may be slowed by network latencies. Restoration may be further slowed if a slow or busy network connects the backup server to its clients. Even if the network speed is fast it may still take a significant amount of time to transmit the backup image back to the client computer system if the backup image contains a large amount of data. During the time the backup image is being transmitted back to the client computer system, the volume may not be available to use. This may cause users to lose valuable time while waiting for the volume to be restored.